A free salon wherein patrons and passers-by may view or contribute ideas on literary and generally intellectual matters. The blog will strive to maintain its commitment to wit, humour and perspicuous analysis.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Humorous, literary videos

I am offering two videos today to my faithful readers (all two of you). I assure you they are neither lewd nor vulgar; they are in fact very witty.

The first is a brief skit from Monty Python on the poet McTeagel. I first saw it in my 2nd year, about 5 years ago. I remember disliking it (or "not getting it") the first time, but found it hilarious on a second viewing. It's a humorous send up of the reception of certain poets/artists.

The second is a brief sketch from what appears to be Blackadder Live. I own the recent DVD set, which has every episode including some "hidden" ones, but this is the first time I've seen this.Warning: the skit can only be appreciated by those who are familiar with Hamlet. If you're not too familar with it, then I suggest having a copy of the famous soliloquy "To be or not to be" from Act III sc. I (or better yet, read the play).

The python bit is one of the few I actually liked (although it gets less funny each time). I find the "famous" or "well liked" monty python sketches fatuous and a waste of time; it's usually the lesser known ones that are better. For example, I don't think the dead parrot sketch is funny!! It's not funny!

Blackadder was well done: you can see the influence of, say, Monty Python on it, but it's a lot more polished than most other british coms.